Get out and play in Toronto.  

Ashley Idle

The largest city in Canada also has some of the most interesting activities to offer travelers. Whether you’re stopping in for a day trip or for the week, Toronto holds the key to a fun-filled time.

A must on any visit to Toronto is the CN tower. The largest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere, it is an icon of Canada and the most recognizable silhouette on the skyline. It is one of the seven modern wonders of the world, giving it an even greater status in the eyes of the world. Over two million people visit the tower every year to experience what it has to offer. Beside the panoramic view of Toronto, you can have lunch (or dinner) at 360, the rotating restaurant located in the lower Sky Pod. For the really adventurous, the newest attraction at the CN Tower might be for you. It’s called edge walk, and it allows you to take a jaunt around the outside of the tower, suspended 116 storeys off the ground! You are harnessed to a support line and can walk around a 5-metre platform with a guide. The experience takes an hour and a half and is unique to the CN Tower.

For those that aren’t a fan of heights, it’s easy to find some excitement on the ground. Just steps away from the CN Tower is the Rogers centre, home of the Toronto Argonauts football team and the Blue Jays baseball team. While in town it can be fun to experience some of the local sports culture. Tickets are reasonably priced, so it can be a cost-effective way to spend an afternoon with the family!

If you are more ice-sports inclined, the Air Canada Centre, or ACC, is just down the street. You can catch the Toronto Maple Leafs in action from October to May every year. Prices are set per game, so check centretoronto.com for specific pricing.

Keep an eye on these venues for the latest concerts and attractions. Many acts grace Toronto, and a lot of them play at one of these two venues.

For those that prefer a different type of entertainment, Toronto has a thriving theatre and arts district. It is easy to find a great show to attend, or maybe to drop by and hear the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play. Plays are available year-round and a number of venues around the city; from the very posh to the understated. The TSO performs from September to June covering works from Mahler to Hollywood hits. With a thriving arts centre, there is always something cultured to do in Toronto.

There is also a lot of art to experience in Toronto. For the art lover, there are many different art galleries dotted around the metropolis, covering Canadian art (Group of Seven) to contemporary to classic styles of painting. The best place to get all of these styles in one place is the Art Gallery of Ontario. As one of Canada’s largest art galleries, it is home to a splendid array of art from the first century A.D. to present day. They constantly change their exhibits and get new feature exhibitions, so every time you visit will be a slightly different experience. It has the largest collection of Canadian art in the world, making up over half of the AGO’s collection. Outside of Canadian art, the gallery also features work by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Andy Warhol and Vincent Van Gogh, to name a few. One can spend hours wandering the halls of this beautiful gallery, discovering new works of art at every turn.

For the historian, there is the Royal Ontario Museum. The museum holds forty different galleries filled with different artefacts, as well as having rotating specialty exhibits and loans from other notable museums. It houses an impressive amount of prehistoric artefacts as well as many pieces from important eras in human development. There are natural history galleries, world culture galleries and contemporary culture galleries included in the museum as well as many forthcoming galleries expected to take form in the upcoming years.

From art to theatre, music to sports, Toronto is filled with a wide variety of activities for anyone to explore. We’ve only scratched the surface of things to do in Toronto, so get out, explore and don’t forget to have fun!